11316 Company Sergeant Major William W. Long, Royal Engineers

Unless otherwise noted, the details supplied in this narrative were extracted from the soldier’s service papers obtained from original documents housed in the National Archives at Kew, Richmond, Surrey. The service papers were located in War Office files WO97/3311.

William W. Long was born in the Parish of St. Mary's, near the Town of Southampton in the County of Hampshire in May of 1852. Prior to his enlistment in the Army in 1871 he worked as a Surveyor. This civil trade made him a prime candidate for the Corps of Royal Engineers when he decided to enlist in the Army; specifically, it provided him with the credentials necessary to work for the Ordnance Survey on the Survey of England. This employment during his 21 years in the Army would keep him in the United Kingdom for the entire period of his military service.

The following is a description of William Long at the time he enlisted in the Army in 1871:

Age:	19 years and 3 months
Height:	5 feet 9 inches
Weight:	127 pounds
Chest Measurement (normal):	36 inches
Pulse (regular):	72 beats per minute
Respiration:	18 inspirations per minute
Complexion:	Dark
Eyes:	Hazel
Hair:	Dark
Vaccination Marks:	Yes, in infancy
Distinctive Marks:	None
Muscular Development:	Moderate

William Long was recruited for service in the Corps of Royal Engineers on the 9^th of August 1871. He was given a preliminary medical examination at Chatham, Kent on that day and a Medical Certificate on Enlistment was issued by T.W. Fry, Surgeon, Royal Engineers pronouncing Long fit for service in the Army.^[1]

On the 15^th of August 1871, William Long was granted special authorization to enlist in the Corps of Royal Engineers by the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, R.E. Long's service papers do not indicate why "special authorization" was required for his enlistment. In all probability this "special authorization" had something to do with his skills as a surveyor in civil life and his subsequent assignment to the Ordnance Survey.

Long was enlisted on the 16^th of August at 12:00 noon at Chatham, Kent by Sergeant Major John Foster, R.E. His enlistment was for a period of 12 years with the promise of a free kit.^[2]

As part of his enlistment Long was asked the normal questions that were put to a recruit when joining up. His responses to the questions were recorded on his Attestation Paper by Sergeant William G. Mackay, R.E. Long indicated to Sergeant Mackay that he was not an apprentice and that he was not married. He declared that he was not a member of the Militia or the Army Reserve, that he was not a member of the regular forces and that he had never been rejected as unfit for service in the forces. Long further stipulated that he had never been marked as a "Deserter" and had never been discharged for "Bad Conduct."

William Long swore the Oath of Attestation at Rochester, Kent on the 17^th of August 1871 at 3:45 PM before Francis M. Webb, a Justice of the Peace for Rochester. He returned to Chatham on the following day where his Medical Certificate on Approval was issued by T.W. Fry, Surgeon, R.E. On the 26^th of August 1871, Long's attestation was certified by the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, R.E. He was now 11316 Sapper William Long, Royal Engineers.

Sapper Long began his recruit training as an engineer soldier at the School of Military Engineering at Chatham.^[3] His training continued until October of 1872 when it appears that he was assigned to a unit at Chatham, probably to a company within the Depot Battalion Royal Engineers.^[4]

Date of Promotion or Appointment	Rank or Appointment and Time in each Grade
16 August 1871	Enlisted in the rank of Sapper (6 years and 152 days)
16 January 1878	Appointed Lance Corporal (1 year and 54 days)
12 March 1879	Promoted 2^nd Corporal (3 years and 72 days)
24 May 1882	Promoted Corporal (6 years and 246 days)
26 January 1889	Promoted Sergeant (3 years and 1 day)
28 January 1892	Promoted Company Sergeant Major (201 days)

No record of any disciplinary actions was found in Company Sergeant Major Long's military service records.

Company Sergeant Major Long received the following Good Conduct Badges during his time in service:^[5]

Good Conduct Badge	Date of Award	Total Time in Service
Awarded Good Conduct Pay at 1d.	17 August 1873	2 years
Awarded Good Conduct Pay at 2d.	17 August 1877	6 years
Eligible for Good Conduct Pay at 3d.	17 August 1883	12 years
Eligible for Good Conduct Pay at 4d.	17 August 1887	16 years
Eligible for Good Conduct Pay at 5d.	17 August 1892	21 years

NOTE: Long entered the Army when the 1870 rules for awarding good conduct pay were in force. Under these rules (and the subsequent 1876 rules) he received good conduct pay after 2, 6 and 12 years of total service. His fourth and fifth good conduct badges were awarded under the 1876 rules at 16 years and 21 years. It should be noted that he received each badge exactly on the anniversary date of his service as specified by the regulations for awarding the badges.

Company Sergeant Major Long completed 18 years of service on the 8^th of August 1889 and became eligible for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. This medal was subsequently issued to him the following year.^[6] It was the only medal awarded to him during his military career.

Company Sergeant Major Long earned a Second Class and a First Class Certificate of Education in 1886.^[7] His service papers do not indicate the day or month that each of the certificates was issued.

William Long entered the Army after having worked as a Surveyor in civil life. He spent his more than 21 years in the Army as a Surveyor working on the Ordnance Survey of England.

William Long served all of his time in the Army at home, without any active service or service abroad. The table below provides a summary of his service.

Station	From:	To:	Years & Days
Chatham, Kent	16 August 1871	9 October 1872	1 year & 54 days
Guildford, Surrey	10 October 1872	28 September 1875	2 years & 354 days
Reading, Berkshire	29 September 1875	30 November 1882	7 years & 63 days
Bristol, Somerset	1 December 1882	17 August 1892	9 years & 260 days
*Total Service:*			*21 years and 1 day*

Following the completion of his recruit training, Long was posted to Guildford, Surrey on the 10^th of October 1872 where it appears that he was assigned to the 14^th (Survey) Company, Royal Engineers to perform duties related to the Survey of England. The 14^th Company had been stationed at Guildford since December of 1866. The company subsequently moved to Tonbridge in Kent and in January of 1874 it was located in Chester, Cheshire. Long's final move with the 14^th Company occurred in March of 1875 when the unit moved to London.

Long was posted to the 16^th (Survey) Company, Royal Engineers at Reading, Berkshire on the 29^th of September 1875, again to perform duties relating to the Survey of England. On the 28^th of November 1881, while still serving at Reading, he re-engaged to complete 21 years of service with the Colours.^[8] The 16^th Company was moved to Clifton in March of 1879 and then to Ipswich, Suffolk on the 2^nd of January 1882.

On the 1^st of December 1882, Long was posted to Bristol where he served with the 13^th (Survey) Company, R.E. at the Ordnance Survey Office in Tudor Hall. He ultimately served as the Company Sergeant Major of this unit and was still serving with the company at the time of his discharge in August of 1892.

The following information was taken from William Long's medical records during his time in service:

Location	Date of Admission	Ailment or Medical Procedure	Period of Hospitalization or Treatment
Chatham, Kent	9 Aug 1871	Medical examination on enlistment	Found fit for Service in the Army.
Chatham, Kent	30 Aug 1871	Re-vaccinated	Vaccination failed
Chatham, Kent	6 Sep 1871	Re-vaccinated	Vaccination failed
Chatham, Kent	11 Sep 1872	Conjunctivitis caused by an accident	Admitted to hospital for treatment. Released to duty on 13 September 1872

On the 3^rd of February 1875, William Long married Lucy Ellen A. Vingar at Guildford, Surrey without leave.^[9] Lucy was originally from Penzance, Cornwall and was 23 years old at the time of their marriage.

The Longs first child, Charles W.H. Long was born at Reading, Berkshire on the 11^th of November 1875. A second son, Sydney W.H. Long was born at Stansted Montfield, Essex on the 3^rd of April 1878. Both sons were given the middle initial "H" in their names. There is no record to indicate what the letter "H" stood for, but it may be surmised that it was the name of a male member of the Long family.

Census Place: Yate, Gloucester, England
Source: FHL Film 1341606, PRO Reference RG11, Piece 2512, Folio 46, Page Number 3
Name And Occupation	Relation	Marital Status	Age	Sex	Birthplace
William W. Long, 2^nd Corporal, Royal Engineers	Head	Married	28	Male	Southampton, Hampshire, England
Lucy E.A. Long	Wife	Married	29	Female	Penzance, Cornwall, England
Charles, W.H. Long, Scholar	Son		5	Male	Reading, Berkshire, England
Sydney W.H. Long, Scholar	Son		3	Male	Stansted Montfield, Essex, England
John Jones, Laborer, Ordnance Survey	Boarder		27	Male	Glamorgan, Wales
Philip Conway, Civil Assistant, Ordnance Survey	Boarder		19	Male	Ireland

The 1901 census shows an entry for the household of William W. Long in the Civil Parish of Glasshouse Yard Entire, East Division of the Borough of Finsbury, Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Botolph without Aldersgate, in the Administrative County of London. The Long's address is shown as 1 Rutland Place. Rutland Place is located near Charterhouse Square in Finsbury, London EC1. It is situated in close proximity to many famous places in London; namely, the Old Bailey, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, the General Post Office and St. Paul's Cathedral.

Name and Age	Where Born	Marital Status	Occupation
William W. Long, 48	Southampton, Hampshire	Married	Caretaker School Porter
Lucy E. Long, 49	Penzance, Cornwall	Married

Charles W.H. Long, aged 26 years, and Sydney W.H. Long, aged 23 years, are not shown in the 1901 census as living in their father's house. At the start of the Great War of 1914-1918, Charles would have been 39 years of age and Sydney would have been 36 years of age. There is no evidence that either man followed in their father's footsteps by joining the forces either before or during the Great War. Neither man shows up as a casualty in Soldiers Died in the Great War.

Company Sergeant Major William W. Long was discharged from the Army at Bristol on the 17^th of August 1892 on the on the termination of his second period of limited engagement. At the time of his discharge he was serving in the 13^th (Survey) Company, Royal Engineers under the command of Captain P.S. Haynes, R.E. Long served all of his 21 years and 1 day at home with no service abroad and no war service. At the time of his discharge his habits were noted to be "temperate" and his conduct "very good."

No information was uncovered during this research regarding Company Sergeant Major Long's post service life other than what was uncovered in the 1901 British Census.

1. BARTHOLOMEW, J. Reference Atlas of Greater London. John Bartholomew & Son, Ltd., The Geographical Institute, Edinburgh, 1957.

2. FARWELL, B. Mr. Kipling’s Army: All the Queen’s Men. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1981.

3. GRIERSON, J.M. Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War. Greenhill Books, London, 1988.

4. SKELLEY, A.R. The Victorian Army at Home: The Recruitment and Terms and Conditions of the British Regular, 1859-1899. McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 1977.

1. Service Record (WO97/3311) of 11316 Company Sergeant Major William W. Long, R.E., including the following documents:

2. LARIMORE, F.B. Long Service and Good Conduct Chevrons (Badges) and their Periods of Qualification. Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, 1998.

1. 1881 British Census and National Index. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, 1999.

2. GASE, S. Movements of Royal Engineers Companies. West Drayton, Middlesex, 2001.

3. Vital Records Index - British Isles. Family History Resource File, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, 1998.

[3] See Engineer Recruit Training. It has been assumed that Long underwent the normal recruit training as for any other soldier enlisted in the Royal Engineers. This assumption may not be valid if the special circumstances of his enlistment, that is his skill as a surveyor, caused him to follow a different course of training specifically designed for his duties with the Ordnance Survey.

[4] It is quite possible that following his recruit training he was assigned further training to prepare him for service with the Ordnance Survey. It is also possible that he was assigned directly to a Survey Company of the Royal Engineers following his recruit training, although there were no Survey Companies at Chatham in 1872.

[6] This medal is in the author's collection and is the reason for this research work.

[9] See Marriage of Soldiers during the Victorian Period. Long's service papers do not indicate that he was ever placed on the Married Establishment, although as a senior non-commissioned officer this must have occurred at some time during his career.